This application claims the priority of German patent document 100 56 429.1, filed Nov. 14, 2000, the disclosure of which is expressly incorporated by reference herein.
The present invention relates to a fuel cell system and a method for operating the fuel cell system.
In conventional fuel cell systems, for example in fuel cell vehicles, the hydrogen and oxygen quantities that are supplied to the fuel cell are adapted to the desired fuel cell output by adjusting the hydrogen and oxygen quantities using suitable control or regulating methods. Such a fuel cell system is known in the art from DE 195 40 824 A1 (U.S. Pat. No. 5,780,981).
It is the subject-matter of the present invention to describe a fuel cell system that features simplified controlling or regulating of the fuel cell system.
According to the present invention, a fuel cell unit is electrically switched off and on depending on the availability of resources.
The advantage is that for different load requirements that are placed upon the fuel cell unit no complex control of the resource supply is required. This is particularly advantageous for a fuel cell system with a reformer.
Naturally, the above-described characteristics, as well as the characteristics that will be described in more detail in the following, can be applied in the context of the indicated combination, but also for other types of combinations or separately without leaving the framework of the present invention.